We are languishing in 10th, 8 points behind ‘struggling’ Man United. Defense is leaking goals, attack is largely misfiring and players are losing discipline.
The mentality has also become like that of a mid-table team. Nothing in and around the club screams world class at the moment.
I just don’t find many differences between Chelsea and say, Crystal Palace (apart from the wages and all). As fans, should we also have a mid-table mindset? Satisfied with draws against the big boys and finishing the season with 45-50 points?
You have to take your pick, accept that it’s a project that will take time, or keep your expectations high and be consistently disappointed when it isnt working.
The reality of the premier League now is that there are probably 7 or 8 clubs competing for the European spots so I think fans, across the board, need to realign their expectations.
Some seasons you will progress, others you will falter. I’m highly doubting there is going to be a, “we’re back” moment where everything goes back to the way it was.
Realistically when people say “it’s a project phase”, fans of a big team still expect a challenge for top 4 and anything less is unacceptable. Not saying it’s right or wrong, but I’ve just never seen fans be happy with a team in transition finishing mid table or worse.
That’s fine, but it’s just a different way of wording the option of having higher expectations. Project phase that is challenging for UCL spots isn’t a project phase.
Funny stat I read last week. If you would end games bang on xG, Chelsea would be too if the table. So the football ain’t all that bad… give it time exactly
Yeah I remember when we were all struggling to understand how Almiron was going to fit in to Howe’s plans, and someone brought out his xG stats.
Then he went on a run of scoring absolute worldies in every game.
Like Arsenal.
Like Man utd.
Eeeggh sort of.
I mean man U, yeah… But Arteta has his detractors before he got the balance right. There was an “Arteta out” movement at one point, even if it wasn’t as widespread as the media might want us to think it was.
I see this but it’s utter bollocks.
It’s highly disappointing regardless of which one you view of it. Just because something is a project doesn’t mean there aren’t minimum expectations and if after spending £1bn over 3 windows, that minimum isn’t at least European football then I have no idea what you’re doing.
Look at Arsenal. 2 years ago, they faced Brentford away on the first game of the season (and lost). From that game, the only player starting in Saturday’s match against Brentford was Martinelli. The squad has been heavily changed. Their results since that game were 5th, 2nd and currently top. The season before that was 8th which was seen as a big disappointment.
Chelsea in the last 18 months have spent more money than Arsenal have done under the entirety of Arteta’s management tenure.
Has a single player they bought actually improved since moving?
I mean that’s ridiculous. They spent a billion pounds. They should be improving. Liverpool seem to have turned around their fortunes in one transfer window. Tottenham sold Harry Kane and look better off for it. Chelsea outspent everyone and seemingly got worse.
I think this “it’ll take time” is fine when you’re arsenal or Liverpool who need to make the best of every dollar, but Chelsea went out and bought a 100 million pound midfielder ffs, after spending 90 mil on mudryk, and whatever astronomical fee nkunku cost. They should expect to at least be competing for top 4.
At this point it seems more likely we end up with a Big 10 than we are to go back to a Big 6.